There are no universal truths in Crime and Punishment. While there it seems that Raskolnikov’s story in Crime and Punishment focuses on the idea of atonement, Dostoevsky counters that understanding with Svidrigailov’s final hours in Part VI, chapter vi. Svidrigailov acts as a foil to Raskolnikov throughout the entirety of the novel, and their two understandings of redemption is no exception. In analyzing Svidrigailov’s final night, we see that while he believes that the past can influence the future, he believes the reverse is not true. For Svidrigailov, the past is immutable, and as such, the actions in his final hours cannot be viewed as an attempt to seek redemption. Rather than try to fix the past, Svidrigailov spends his final night trying
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The dispute stems from the proceeds from a spoon that was stolen and sold at some point in the past, and it is assumed that Svidrigailov will find a way to resolve the dispute between the two groups. However, after having “arbitrated between them for a quarter of an hour…they shouted so much that there was not the slightest possibility of making anything out” (499) and Svidrigailov ends up paying for the spoon to end the conflict. In doing so, we see the first example of an inability to fix the past. Paying for the spoon does not fix the underlying issues in the dispute—presumably a violation of one party’s trust by the other party—but does offer a chance for future peace between the two parties. For Svidrigailov, the past cannot be changed, but the future is malleable, and Svidrigailov’s choices reflect this understanding. The money he uses to pay for the spoon might not have solved the core issue at hand, but it does offer the chance of a more stable future for the two groups. Underlying this decision, however, is the fact that the solution might not be enough to overcome the violation of trust that has already transpired. Treating symptoms of the past does not guarantee the end of the past’s influence on the …show more content…
Because he has no way to truly make up for the wrongs he has done, he sees no recourse other than suicide. Where Raskolnikov’s worldview offers him the opportunity to escape his past wrongs, Svidrigailov is forced to live with whatever it is that he may have done. As Svidrigailov puts the revolver to his head, he is repeatedly told by the fireman that he is in the “wrong place,” (513) which is true in the sense that Svidrigailov has not yet left for the one place that will allow him to escape his past: “America” (511). The dichotomy of “a bullet in the head, or Siberia” (501) returns and Svidrigailov’s choice makes it clear that he rejects the existence of
The dispute stems from the proceeds from a spoon that was stolen and sold at some point in the past, and it is assumed that Svidrigailov will find a way to resolve the dispute between the two groups. However, after having “arbitrated between them for a quarter of an hour…they shouted so much that there was not the slightest possibility of making anything out” (499) and Svidrigailov ends up paying for the spoon to end the conflict. In doing so, we see the first example of an inability to fix the past. Paying for the spoon does not fix the underlying issues in the dispute—presumably a violation of one party’s trust by the other party—but does offer a chance for future peace between the two parties. For Svidrigailov, the past cannot be changed, but the future is malleable, and Svidrigailov’s choices reflect this understanding. The money he uses to pay for the spoon might not have solved the core issue at hand, but it does offer the chance of a more stable future for the two groups. Underlying this decision, however, is the fact that the solution might not be enough to overcome the violation of trust that has already transpired. Treating symptoms of the past does not guarantee the end of the past’s influence on the …show more content…
Because he has no way to truly make up for the wrongs he has done, he sees no recourse other than suicide. Where Raskolnikov’s worldview offers him the opportunity to escape his past wrongs, Svidrigailov is forced to live with whatever it is that he may have done. As Svidrigailov puts the revolver to his head, he is repeatedly told by the fireman that he is in the “wrong place,” (513) which is true in the sense that Svidrigailov has not yet left for the one place that will allow him to escape his past: “America” (511). The dichotomy of “a bullet in the head, or Siberia” (501) returns and Svidrigailov’s choice makes it clear that he rejects the existence of